WO2023074333A1 - Information presenting system, information presenting device, information presenting method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention addresses the problem of providing additional support on top of support based on haptic sense transmission. An information presenting system (1) according to the present invention comprises: a master device (10) to which an operation of an operator is input; and a slave device (20) operating in response to the operation input to the master device (10). The information presenting system (1) comprises a haptic sense transmission unit (352), a calculation unit (355), and a presentation unit (356). The haptic sense transmission unit (352) controls transmission of a haptic sense between the master device (10) and the slave device (20). The calculation unit (355) calculates a physical property of a substance with which the slave device (20) comes into contact, on the basis of the external force input from the environment to the slave device (20) during the period when the slave device (20) maintains a predetermined motion state. The presentation unit (356) presents the physical property of the substance calculated by the calculation unit (355).

Description

Information presentation system, information presentation device, information presentation method and program

The present invention relates to an information presentation system, an information presentation device, an information presentation method, and a program.

Conventionally, in a master device to which an operator's operation is input and a slave device that operates according to the operation input to the master device, a reaction force corresponding to the operation on the slave device side is applied to the master device as a haptic sensation. A technology of bilateral control called transmission is known. A technique related to such bilateral control is disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example.

JP-A-64-34686

According to the general technique as described above, it is possible to assist the operation of the operator by transmitting the haptic sensation between the master device and the slave device.
However, it is desirable to be able to provide further assistance in addition to such assistance by haptic transmission.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances. An object of the present invention is to provide further assistance in addition to the assistance provided by the transmission of the haptic sensation.

In order to solve the above problems, an information presentation system according to one aspect of the present invention includes:
An information presentation system including a master device to which an operator's operation is input and a slave device that operates according to the operation input to the master device,
control means for controlling haptic transmission in the master device and the slave device;
calculating means for calculating physical properties of a substance contacted by the slave device based on an external force input to the slave device from the environment while the slave device maintains a predetermined state of motion;
presentation means for presenting the physical properties of the substance calculated by the calculation means;
characterized by comprising

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide further support in addition to support through the transmission of haptic sensations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a schematic diagram which shows the whole structure of the information presentation system 1 which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the basic principle of haptic transmission control executed by the information presentation device 30. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of a control system in the information presentation system 1; FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a hardware configuration of an information processing device that constitutes the information presentation device 30. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the information presentation system 1; FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the flow of information presentation processing executed by the information presentation device 30. FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing changes in time series of an external force input from the environment to the slave device 20 when the slave device 20 comes into contact with a substance; 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an information presentation system 1 that performs information presentation processing after an operator manually inserts a catheter of a slave device 20. FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[composition]
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of an information presentation system 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 1, an information presentation system 1 according to this embodiment is configured as a master/slave system including a master device 10 and a slave device 20 that are mechanically separated. As an example, in the information presentation system 1 of this embodiment, the master device 10 constitutes a manipulator operated by an operator, and the slave device 20 constitutes a catheter system having an end effector inserted into a subject. do.

In FIG. 1, the information presentation system 1 includes a master device 10, a slave device 20, and an information presentation device 30. The master device 10, the slave device 20, and the information presentation device 30 are connected to a network 40. It is configured to enable wired or wireless communication via. Note that the information presentation system 1 can include a display L and a plurality of cameras C as appropriate. As the camera C, various cameras such as a video camera that captures the appearance of the subject into which the slave device 20 is inserted, or an X-ray camera that captures the interior of the subject (for example, blood vessels and organs of the subject) by X-rays. A camera can be used. Further, a plurality of displays L for displaying various images captured by a plurality of cameras C and various information output from the information presentation device 30 can be provided.

The master device 10 receives an operation similar to that for a conventional mechanically configured catheter, and detects the position of a movable part (such as a movable member of a manipulator) that moves according to the input operation. The master device 10 transmits information representing the detected position of the movable part to the information presentation device 30 . In addition, the master device 10 outputs a reaction force with the actuator according to the instruction of the information presentation device 30 in response to the input operation.

Specifically, the master device 10 performs an operation to move the catheter forward and backward (for example, an operation to insert the catheter into a blood vessel or an operation to slightly move the catheter to detect haptic sensations near the lesion), and rotate the catheter around its axis. Manipulation (e.g., changing the direction of the end effector) and manipulating the end effector (e.g., if the end effector is a balloon, expanding or contracting it, or if the end effector is forceps, etc.) , opening and closing operations, etc.), applies a reaction force to these operations, and transmits to the information presentation device 30 information representing the position of the movable portion moved by each operation.

The slave device 20 drives an actuator according to instructions from the information presentation device 30 to perform an action corresponding to the operation input to the master device 10. Detects the position of a catheter, etc.). As the slave device 20 operates, various external forces are input to the slave device 20 from the environment. As a result, the position of the movable portion in the slave device 20 indicates the result of various external forces acting on the output of the actuator. The slave device 20 then transmits information representing the detected position of the movable portion to the information presentation device 30 . Here, the various external forces that are input to the slave device 20 from the environment include, for example, a resistance force in the thrust direction that a catheter inserted into the subject receives from a blood vessel, a guide wire and an end effector that are placed at the tip of the catheter, and the like. This includes the contact force when the body comes into contact with a lesion, organ, or blood vessel.

The information presentation device 30 is composed of, for example, an information processing device such as a PC (Personal Computer) or a server computer, and controls the master device 10, the slave device 20, the display L and the camera C. For example, the information presentation device 30 acquires the positions of the movable parts of the master device 10 and the slave device 20 (such as the rotation angle of the actuator detected by a rotary encoder or the forward/backward position of the movable part detected by a linear encoder), Execute control for transmitting haptic sensations between the device 10 and the slave device 20 .

When operating the master device 10 and the slave device 20 as a master/slave system, the information presentation device 30 in this embodiment uses information representing the position of the movable part (the position of the movable element of the actuator or the member moved by the actuator). The parameters (input vector) in the real space calculated based on the information representing the position, etc.) are coordinate-transformed (transformed by a transformation matrix) into a virtual space in which position and force can be handled independently. That is, the input vector is coordinate-transformed from the real space of the oblique coordinate system in which the position and the force are related to each other to the virtual space of the orthogonal coordinate system in which the position and the force are mutually independent. The parameters calculated by the coordinate transformation represent the position and force state values corresponding to the input vector in the virtual space. Then, in the virtual space after the coordinate transformation, the information presentation device 30 uses the position and force state values calculated from the input vector as position and force values for performing position and force control (here, haptic transmission). Calculations are performed to follow each target value, and inverse transformation (transformation using an inverse matrix of the transformation matrix) is performed to return the computation results to the real space. Further, the information presentation device 30 drives each actuator based on the real space parameters (current command value, etc.) obtained by the inverse transformation, thereby generating a haptic sensation between the master device 10 and the slave device 20. Realize a master-slave system for transmission.

Note that position and velocity (or acceleration) or angle and angular velocity (or angular acceleration) are parameters that can be replaced by calculus, so when performing processing related to position or angle, replace them with velocity or angular velocity as appropriate. is possible.

With such a configuration, the information presentation system 1 of the present embodiment realizes a master-slave system that transmits haptic sensations between the master device 10 and the slave device 20 as described above, and performs information presentation processing. . Here, the information presentation process is based on the external force input to the slave device 20 from the environment when the haptic sensation is transmitted to perform a predetermined action, and the physical characteristics of the substance with which the slave device 20 is in contact. is a series of processes for presenting

Specifically, in the information presentation process, the information presentation system 1 controls transmission of haptic sensations in the master device 10 and the slave device 20 . In addition, the information presentation system 1 calculates the physical properties of the substance with which the slave device 20 is in contact based on the external force input to the slave device 20 from the environment while the slave device 20 maintains a predetermined motion state. Calculate Furthermore, the information presentation system 1 presents the calculated physical properties of the substance.

In this way, the information presentation system 1, under a quantitative state in which the slave device 20 maintains a predetermined state of motion, moves the slave device 20 forward based on an external force input from the environment to the slave device 20. It can present the physical properties of the material with which 20 comes into contact. Therefore, for example, the physical characteristics of a substance such as a blood vessel that cannot be directly touched by the operator are quantitatively presented as information obtained by the slave device 20 coming into contact with the substance (that is, tactile information). It is possible to further support the operation of the operator. In addition to the operation of the operator, the presented physical characteristics can be used to provide further support to those who perform various analyzes, inspections, and the like.
Therefore, according to the information presentation system 1, it is possible to solve the problem of providing further support in addition to the support by transmitting the haptic sensation.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the basic principle of the haptic transmission control executed by the information presentation device 30. As shown in FIG.
The basic principle shown in FIG. 2 determines the operation of the actuator by inputting information representing the position of the movable part (current position of the movable part) and performing calculations in at least one of the areas of velocity and force. be.
That is, the basic principle of the present invention includes a system to be controlled S, a functional force/velocity assignment transformation block FT, at least one of an ideal force source block FC or an ideal velocity source block PC, and an inverse transformation block IFT. It is expressed as a control law.

The controlled system S is the master device 10 or the slave device 20 equipped with an actuator, and controls the actuator based on acceleration and the like. Here, as described above, since acceleration, velocity, and position are physical quantities that can be mutually converted by calculus, any of acceleration, velocity, and position may be used for control. Here, the control law is mainly expressed using the velocity calculated from the position.

The function-specific force/velocity allocation conversion block FT is a block that defines the conversion of control energy into the velocity and force regions set according to the function of the controlled system S. Specifically, in the functional force/velocity assignment transformation block FT, a coordinate transformation is defined in which a value (reference value) serving as a reference for the function of the controlled system S and the current position of the movable part are input. . This coordinate transformation generally converts an input vector whose elements are the reference value and the current velocity into an output vector composed of velocities for calculating the velocity control target value, and an input vector whose elements are the reference value and the current force. It converts the vector into an output vector consisting of force for calculating the force control target value. Specifically, the coordinate transformation in the functional force/velocity allocation transformation block FT is generalized as shown in the following equations (1) and (2).

However, in formula (1), x' ₁ to x' _n (n is an integer of 1 or more) are velocity vectors for deriving the state value of velocity, and x' _a to x' _m (m is 1 or more). ) is a vector whose elements are the reference value and the speed based on the action of the actuator (the speed of the mover of the actuator or the speed of the member moved by the actuator), and h _1a to h _nm are the elements of the conversion matrix representing the function. be. Further, in equation (2), f″ ₁ to f″ _n (n is an integer of 1 or more) are force vectors for deriving force state values, and f″ _a to f″ _m ( m is an integer equal to or greater than 1) is a vector whose elements are the force based on the reference value and the action of the actuator (the force of the mover of the actuator or the force of the member moved by the actuator).

By setting the coordinate transformation in the functional force/velocity allocation transformation block FT according to the function to be realized, various operations can be realized and scaling can be performed.
That is, in the basic principle of the present invention, in the function-specific force/velocity assignment conversion block FT, the variables of the actuator alone (variables in the real space) are replaced by the variables of the entire system (the variable) and assign the control energy to the control energy of velocity and the control energy of force. In other words, according to the basic principle of the present invention, a coordinate space in which velocity and force are related to each other is transformed into a coordinate space in which velocity and force are independent of each other, and then calculations related to velocity and force control are performed. Therefore, compared to the case where the control is performed with the variables of the actuator alone (variables in the real space), it is possible to independently apply the velocity control energy and the force control energy.

The ideal force source block FC is a block that performs calculations in the force domain according to the coordinate transformation defined by the functional force/velocity assignment transformation block FT. In the ideal force source block FC, a target value is set for the force when performing calculations based on the coordinate transformation defined by the functional force/velocity assignment transformation block FT. This target value is set as a fixed value or a variable value depending on the function to be implemented. For example, when realizing a function similar to the function indicated by the reference value, set the target value to zero, or when performing scaling, set a value obtained by expanding or reducing the information indicating the function to be realized. can.

The ideal velocity source block PC is a block that performs calculations in the velocity domain according to the coordinate transformation defined by the functional force/velocity assignment transformation block FT. In the ideal velocity source block PC, there are set target values relating to velocity when performing calculations based on the coordinate transformation defined by the functional force/velocity assignment transformation block FT. This target value is set as a fixed value or a variable value depending on the function to be implemented. For example, when realizing a function similar to the function indicated by the reference value, set the target value to zero, or when performing scaling, set a value obtained by expanding or reducing the information indicating the function to be realized. can.

The inverse transform block IFT is a block that transforms values in the domain of velocity and force into values in the domain of inputs to the controlled system S (for example, voltage values or current values).
According to this basic principle, when the positional information of the actuators of the controlled system S is input to the functional force/velocity assignment conversion block FT, the velocity and force information obtained based on the positional information is used to , in the function-specific force/velocity assignment conversion block FT, the control law for each of the position and force regions according to the function is applied. In the ideal force source block FC, force calculation is performed according to the function, and in the ideal velocity source block PC, velocity calculation is performed according to the function, and control energy is distributed to force and velocity respectively.

The calculation results in the ideal force source block FC and the ideal velocity source block PC become information indicating the control target of the controlled system S, and these calculation results are used as input values for the actuators in the inverse transformation block IFT, and the controlled system S is entered in
As a result, the actuators of the controlled system S perform operations according to the functions defined by the functional force/velocity assignment conversion block FT, and the intended operation of the device is realized.

Further, when a haptic sensation transmission function with scaling (amplification or reduction of force or position) is realized, the coordinate transformation in the functional force/velocity assignment transformation block FT in FIG. is represented as

However, in equation (3), _x'p is the velocity for deriving the state value of velocity, and _x'f is the velocity related to the state value of force. Also, _x'm is the speed of the reference value (input from the master device 10) (differential value of the current position of the master device 10), and x _'s is the current speed of the slave device 20 (differential value of the current position). . Also, in equation (4), f _p is the force related to the state value of velocity, and f _f is the force for deriving the state value of force. Also, f _m is the force of the reference value (input from the master device 10 ), and f _s is the current force of the slave device 20 .

In the case of the coordinate transformation shown in equations (3) and (4), the position of the slave device 20 is multiplied by α (α is a positive number), the force of the slave device 20 is multiplied by β (β is a positive number), and the master It will be transmitted to the device 10 . Then, for example, by setting α=1 and β=1, the haptic sensation is transmitted without being amplified (that is, expanded) or attenuated (that is, reduced). On the other hand, for example, by setting the value of α and the value of β according to the purpose, scaling to amplify (that is, expand) or attenuate (that is, reduce) the haptic sensation to be transmitted can be performed. Realization is possible.

[Hardware configuration]
Next, the hardware configuration of the control system in the information presentation system 1 will be described.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the control system in the information presentation system 1. As shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, the information presentation system 1 includes an information presentation device 30 configured by an information processing device such as a PC or a server computer as a hardware configuration of a control system, and a control unit 101 of the master device 10. A unit 102, an insertion actuator 103, a detection actuator 104, a rotation actuator 105, an operation actuator 106, linear encoders 107 and 108, rotary encoders 109 and 110, drivers 111 to 114, and a slave device. 20 control unit 201, communication unit 202, insertion actuator 203, detection actuator 204, rotation actuator 205, operation actuator 206, linear encoders 207 and 208, rotary encoders 209 and 210, Drivers 211 to 214, a display L, and a camera C are provided.

A control unit 101 of the master device 10 is composed of a microcomputer including a processor, memory, etc., and controls the operation of the master device 10 . For example, the control unit 101 controls driving of the insertion actuator 103 , the detection actuator 104 , the rotation actuator 105 and the operation actuator 106 of the master device 10 according to control parameters transmitted from the information presentation device 30 .
Communication unit 102 controls communication between master device 10 and other devices via network 40 .

The insertion actuator 103 is composed of, for example, a direct-acting motor, and according to instructions from the control unit 101, the operator inputs the operation to the master device 10 to move the catheter forward and backward in order to insert it into the blood vessel. Gives a reaction force.
The detection actuator 104 is composed of, for example, a voice coil motor, and applies a reaction force to an operator's input to the master device 10 in accordance with instructions from the control unit 101 to advance and retract the catheter near the lesion for treatment. Give.
In the present embodiment, the insertion actuator 103 has a longer stroke than the detection actuator 104, while the detection actuator 104 performs more precise position and force control than the insertion actuator 103. It is possible.
The rotation actuator 105 is composed of, for example, a rotary motor, and applies a reaction force to the operator's operation to rotate the master device 10 around the rotation axis along the advancing/retreating direction according to instructions from the control unit 101 .
The operation actuator 106 is configured by, for example, a rotary motor, and applies a reaction force to an operation input by the operator to a lever (grip) or the like for operating the end effector, according to instructions from the control unit 101. .

The linear encoder 107 detects the position of the mover of the insertion actuator 103 (advance/retreat position on the linear motion axis).
The linear encoder 108 detects the position of the mover of the detection actuator 104 (advance/retreat position on the linear motion axis).
A rotary encoder 109 detects the position (rotational angle) of the mover of the rotary actuator 105 .
The rotary encoder 110 detects the position (rotational angle) of the mover of the operating actuator 106 .

The driver 111 outputs drive current to the insertion actuator 103 according to instructions from the control unit 101 .
The driver 112 outputs a drive current to the detection actuator 104 according to instructions from the control unit 101 .
The driver 113 outputs drive current to the rotation actuator 105 according to the instruction from the control unit 101 .
The driver 114 outputs drive current to the operating actuator 106 in accordance with instructions from the control unit 101 .

A control unit 201 of the slave device 20 is configured by a microcomputer having a processor, memory, etc., and controls the operation of the slave device 20 . For example, the control unit 201 controls the driving of the insertion actuator 203 , the detection actuator 204 , the rotation actuator 205 and the manipulation actuator 206 of the slave device 20 according to control parameters transmitted from the information presentation device 30 .
The communication unit 202 controls communication between the slave device 20 and other devices via the network 40 .

The insertion actuator 203 is composed of, for example, a direct-acting motor, and according to instructions from the control unit 201, the operator inputs the operation to the master device 10 to move the catheter forward and backward in order to insert it into the blood vessel. The catheter of the slave device 20 is advanced and retracted.
The detection actuator 204 is composed of, for example, a voice coil motor, and according to instructions from the control unit 201, the slave device 20 responds to an operation input by the operator to the master device 10 to advance and retract the catheter near the lesion for treatment. advance and retract the catheter.
In the present embodiment, the insertion actuator 203 has a longer stroke than the detection actuator 204, while the detection actuator 204 performs more precise position and force control than the insertion actuator 203. It is possible.
The rotation actuator 205 is configured by, for example, a rotary motor, and rotates the catheter of the slave device 20 around a rotation axis along the advancing/retreating direction in accordance with instructions from the control unit 201 and in accordance with operations input to the master device 10 by the operator. Let
The operation actuator 206 is composed of, for example, a rotary motor, and operates the end effector (expansion, contraction, opening/closing, etc.) according to the operation input to the master device 10 by the operator according to instructions from the control unit 201. .

The linear encoder 207 detects the position of the mover of the insertion actuator 203 (advance/retreat position on the linear motion axis).
A linear encoder 208 detects the position of the mover of the detection actuator 204 (advance/retreat position on the linear motion axis).
A rotary encoder 209 detects the position (rotational angle) of the mover of the rotary actuator 205 .
A rotary encoder 210 detects the position (rotational angle) of the mover of the operating actuator 206 .

The driver 211 outputs drive current to the insertion actuator 203 according to instructions from the control unit 201 .
The driver 212 outputs a drive current to the detection actuator 204 according to instructions from the control unit 201 .
The driver 213 outputs a drive current to the rotation actuator 205 according to instructions from the control unit 201 .
A driver 214 outputs a drive current to the operation actuator 206 according to an instruction from the control unit 201 .

The display L is installed in a place where the operator of the master device 10 can visually recognize the screen, and an image instructed to be displayed by the information presentation device 30 (visible light image, X-ray image, etc. of the subject captured by the camera C). Alternatively, information instructed to be displayed by the information presentation device 30 is displayed.
The camera C is installed in a place where the slave device 20 can capture an image of the subject into which the catheter is to be inserted. Send.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a hardware configuration of an information processing device that constitutes the information presentation device 30. As shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 4, the information presentation device 30 includes a processor (Central Processing Unit) 311, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 312, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 313, a bus 314, an input section 315, and an output A unit 316 , a storage unit 317 , a communication unit 318 and a drive 319 are provided.

The processor 311 executes various processes according to programs recorded in the ROM 312 or programs loaded from the storage unit 317 to the RAM 313 .
The RAM 313 also stores data necessary for the processor 311 to execute various types of processing.

The processor 311 , ROM 312 and RAM 313 are interconnected via a bus 314 . An input unit 315 , an output unit 316 , a storage unit 317 , a communication unit 318 and a drive 319 are connected to the bus 314 .

The input unit 315 is composed of various buttons and the like, and inputs various information according to instruction operations.
The output unit 316 includes a display, a speaker, and the like, and outputs images and sounds.
When the information presentation device 30 is configured as a smart phone or a tablet terminal, the display of the input unit 315 and the display of the output unit 316 may be overlapped to configure a touch panel.
The storage unit 317 is composed of a hard disk, a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory), or the like, and stores various data managed by each server.
The communication unit 318 controls communication between the information presentation device 30 and other devices via the network.

A removable medium 331 consisting of a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a semiconductor memory, or the like is appropriately mounted in the drive 319 . A program read from the removable medium 331 by the drive 319 is installed in the storage unit 317 as required.

[Functional configuration]
Next, a functional configuration of the information presentation system 1 will be described.
FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the information presentation system 1. As shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5, in the information presentation system 1, the information presentation device 30 executes various types of processing to cause the CPU 311 to perform a sensor information acquisition unit 351, a tactile sense transmission unit 352, a distance information acquisition unit 353, A mode setting unit 354, a calculation unit 355, and a presentation unit 356 function. Further, a control parameter storage unit 371 and a physical property storage unit 372 are formed in the storage unit 317 .

The control parameter storage unit 371 stores control parameters acquired in the control of the information presentation device 30 transmitting haptic sensations between the master device 10 and the slave device 20 in chronological order. In this embodiment, the information stored as the control parameters can be various parameters acquired in haptic transmission control, and can include various types of information that can reproduce the haptic transmission control. For example, sensor information acquired by the master device 10 and the slave device 20, state values obtained by coordinate transformation of these sensor information, current command values to each actuator, or information set in the information presentation device 30 for tactile transmission control. It is possible to store various setting values and the like as control parameters.

The physical property storage unit 372 stores the physical property of the substance with which the slave device 20 has come into contact, which is calculated by the calculation unit 355 . In this embodiment, the calculator 355 calculates “elasticity”, “viscosity” and “inertia” as the physical properties of the substance. Therefore, the physical property storage unit 372 stores each of these "elasticity", "viscosity" and "inertia".
In addition, in the present embodiment, the presentation unit 356 presents the physical properties of the substance calculated by the calculation unit 355 and the physical properties of the reference substance so that they can be compared. Therefore, the physical property storage unit 372 also stores the physical property of this reference substance. The physical properties of the reference substance may be physical properties calculated by the calculation unit 355 in the past, or physical properties measured by an inspection method or a tactile method different from the calculation by the calculation unit 355. may be

The sensor information acquisition unit 351 acquires sensor information detected by various sensors installed in the master device 10 and slave devices 20 . For example, the sensor information acquisition unit 351 acquires information indicating the position (forward/backward position or rotation angle) of the mover of each actuator detected by the linear encoders 107, 108, 207, 208 and the rotary encoders 109, 110, 209, 210. get. The sensor information acquisition unit 351 also stores the acquired sensor information in the control parameter storage unit 371 as time-series data.

The haptic transmission unit 352 controls haptic transmission in the master device 10 and the slave device 20 according to the control algorithm shown in FIG. For example, the haptic transmission unit 352 executes control to transmit haptic sensations between actuators for corresponding operations of the master device 10 and the slave device 20 in the information presentation process.

The distance information acquisition unit 353 acquires distance information, which is information indicating the distance between the tip of the catheter and the lesion, by performing calculations, analysis, etc. on various data. Further, distance information acquisition section 353 outputs the acquired distance information to mode setting section 354 . This distance information is used in mode setting section 354 to determine whether or not to switch modes.

The distance information acquisition unit 353 acquires distance information using the image captured by the camera C. In this case, for example, the distance information acquiring unit 353 acquires distance information by analyzing this image and calculating the distance between the tip of the catheter and the lesion. By calculating the distance between the tip of the catheter and the lesion from the image captured by the camera C in this way, it is possible to determine the proximity of the catheter to the lesion based on the same criteria as when a human makes a visual determination. can.

Alternatively, the distance information acquisition unit 353 may acquire distance information using various sensors. In this case, for example, a magnetic detection marker is provided at the tip of the catheter, the position of the tip of the catheter is detected from the outside of the subject by a magnetic sensor, and distance information is obtained by calculating the distance to the lesion. Alternatively, the distance information acquisition unit 353 may install a sensor inside the subject in advance to detect the position of the tip of the catheter, detect the position of the catheter with this sensor, and calculate the distance to the lesion. , the distance information may be obtained.

The distance information acquisition section 353 outputs the distance information thus acquired to the mode setting section 354 .

The mode setting unit 354 switches and sets the three modes of “insertion mode”, “detection mode”, and “measurement mode” as modes to be set in the information presentation device 30 .
Specifically, the mode setting unit 354 selects the “insertion mode” when the tip of the catheter has not reached the vicinity of the lesion based on the distance between the tip of the catheter and the lesion acquired as the distance information by the distance information acquiring unit 353. , and when it reaches the vicinity of the lesion, it switches to "detection mode". In this case, the criterion for switching the mode when the distance approaches (that is, the threshold for the distance for determining whether to switch) is, for example, the subject or the subject simulated in the past It can be set based on an actual measurement value, a statistical value, an estimated value obtained by simulation, or the like when a catheter is inserted into a biological model.

In addition, the mode setting unit 354 performs the mode switching operation via the input unit 315 by the operator or the mode switching operation by communication from an external device (for example, the master device 10) via the communication unit 318. Switch between detection mode and measurement mode. That is, the operator can switch between the "detection mode" and the "measurement mode" at any desired timing.

The "insertion mode" is a mode in which the insertion actuator 203 is used to move the catheter forward and backward in the slave device 20, and haptic sensation is transmitted to and from the insertion actuator 103 of the master device 10. The "insertion mode" is, for example, a mode that is set until the tip of the catheter reaches the vicinity of the lesion after the operator inserts the catheter into the subject.

The "sensing mode" is a mode in which the sensing actuator 204 is used to move the catheter forward and backward in the slave device 20, and haptic sensation is transmitted to and from the sensing actuator 104 of the master device 10. The "detection mode" is, for example, a mode that is set after the operator inserts a catheter into the subject and the tip of the catheter reaches the vicinity of the lesion.

The "measurement mode" is a mode in which the sensing actuator 204 is used to move the catheter forward and backward in the slave device 20, and the physical properties of the substance with which the catheter comes into contact are calculated and presented. In the "measurement mode", unlike the "insertion mode" and the "detection mode", the master device 10 does not accept any operation by the operator. Then, in the “measurement mode”, the slave device 20 does not perform an operation corresponding to the operation on the master device 10 , but follows an instruction for realizing a predetermined motion state generated by the haptic transmission unit 352 . By driving the actuator 204, an operation is performed so as to maintain a predetermined motion state. The “measurement mode” is, for example, a mode set to present the physical properties of substances in lesions to an operator or the like.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the insertion actuators 103 and 203 have longer strokes than the detection actuators 104 and 204, while the detection actuators 104 and 204 have longer strokes than the insertion actuators 103 and 203. It is possible to control the position and force with higher accuracy than in the conventional method. Therefore, the "sensing mode" is used in situations where the operator needs to sense a minute external force input to the slave device 20, as opposed to the "insertion mode". Also, the “measurement mode” is used in a state where it is necessary to accurately calculate the physical properties of the substance in the lesion based on the minute external force input to the slave device 20 .

When the mode setting unit 354 sets the "measurement mode", the calculation unit 355 calculates the physical properties of the substance with which the slave device 20 is in contact (here, the substance in the lesion with which the tip of the catheter is in contact). In order to calculate the physical properties of this substance, in the "measurement mode", the haptic transmission unit 352 generates instructions for realizing a predetermined state of motion. In addition, the slave device 20 drives the detection actuator 204 in accordance with the instruction for realizing the predetermined motion state generated by the haptic transmission unit 352, thereby maintaining the predetermined motion state. conduct.

On the other hand, the calculation unit 355 calculates values indicating various external forces (hereinafter referred to as “force (referred to as "the value of This force value can be calculated as the product of mass and acceleration. Therefore, the distance information acquisition unit 353 stores the sensor information acquired by the sensor information acquisition unit 351, which is stored as control parameters by the control parameter storage unit 371, and the functional force/velocity allocation conversion block FT in the control algorithm shown in FIG. Based on the information corresponding to the result of coordinate transformation to be performed, a force value is obtained by performing an operation such as integration in real time. In this case, the distance information acquisition unit 353 may acquire the force value after performing filtering using a band-limiting filter on the waveform of the instantaneous value. Thus, the calculator 355 can calculate the force value based on the control parameters. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is not necessary to provide a force sensor to measure the force value.

Here, as described above, the calculator 355 calculates elasticity, viscosity, and inertia as the physical properties of the substance. A method of calculating each of these physical properties by the calculating unit 355 and the control by the haptic sensation transmitting unit 352 performed therefor will be described below.

When the calculation unit 355 calculates elasticity, the predetermined motion state is a state in which the catheter is inserted by uniform motion. Therefore, the haptic transmission unit 352 differentiates in real time the position (or angle) of the movable part (such as the mover of the actuator or the catheter moved by the actuator) that is moved by the operation of the slave device 20 and is acquired as sensor information. By doing so, the velocity (or angular velocity) is calculated. Then, the haptic transmission unit 352 controls the operation of the slave device 20 so that the calculated velocity (or angular velocity) becomes a constant value. In addition, the haptic transmission section 352 continues this control until the movable section moved by the operation of the slave device 20 moves a predetermined movement distance (Δx). As a result, uniform motion, which is a predetermined motion state, is maintained. On the other hand, the calculation unit 355 calculates the force change amount (ΔF) by subtracting the force value at the start of the uniform motion from the force value at the end of the uniform motion. Then, the calculation unit 355 divides the force change amount (ΔF) by the moving distance (Δx) while the uniform motion is maintained, and calculates the value of the substance with which the slave device 20 is in contact (here, the catheter). It is calculated as a value that indicates the elasticity (equivalent to the spring constant) of the material in the lesion that the tip touches.

When the calculation unit 355 calculates the viscosity, the predetermined motion state is a state in which the catheter is inserted by uniformly accelerating motion. Therefore, the haptic transmission unit 352 calculates velocity (or angular velocity) in the same manner as when calculating elasticity. Then, the haptic transmission unit 352 calculates acceleration (or angular acceleration) by further differentiating the calculated velocity (or angular velocity). Then, the haptic transmission unit 352 controls the operation of the slave device 20 so that the calculated acceleration (or angular acceleration) becomes a constant value. In addition, the haptic transmission section 352 continues this control until the movable section moved by the operation of the slave device 20 moves a predetermined movement distance (Δx). As a result, uniform acceleration motion, which is a predetermined motion state, is maintained. On the other hand, the calculation unit 355 calculates the force change amount (ΔF) by subtracting the force value at the start of the uniformly accelerated motion from the force value at the end of the uniformly accelerated motion. Then, the calculation unit 355 divides the force change amount (ΔF) by the moving distance (Δx) while the constant acceleration motion is maintained, and calculates the value of the substance (here, the catheter) with which the slave device 20 is in contact. It is calculated as a value that indicates the viscosity of the substance in the lesion that the tip touches.

When the calculation unit 355 calculates inertia, the predetermined motion state is a state in which the insertion of the catheter is performed by uniform jerk motion (also referred to as uniform jerk motion). Therefore, the haptic transmission unit 352 calculates the acceleration (or the acceleration) in the same manner as when calculating the viscosity. Then, the haptic transmission unit 352 calculates the jerk (or angular jerk) by further differentiating the calculated acceleration (or angular acceleration). Then, the haptic transmission unit 352 controls the operation of the slave device 20 so that the calculated jerk (or angular jerk) becomes a constant value. In addition, the haptic transmission section 352 continues this control until the movable section moved by the operation of the slave device 20 moves a predetermined movement distance (Δx). As a result, uniform jerk motion, which is a predetermined motion state, is maintained. On the other hand, the calculation unit 355 calculates the force change amount (ΔF) by subtracting the force value at the start of the uniform jerk motion from the force value at the end of the uniform jerk motion. . Then, the calculation unit 355 divides the force change amount (ΔF) by the movement distance (Δx) while the constant jerk motion is maintained, and calculates the value of the substance with which the slave device 20 is in contact (here, a catheter It is calculated as a value that indicates the inertia of the substance in the lesion that the tip of

In this way, the elasticity, viscosity, and inertia calculated by the calculation unit 355 based on the force values under a quantitative state in which the slave device 20 maintains a predetermined state of motion are used as physical properties. It is stored in the storage unit 372 . Note that the calculation unit 355 does not necessarily need to calculate all of these elasticity, viscosity, and inertia, and may calculate at least one of them.

The presentation unit 356 presents the physical properties such as elasticity, viscosity, and inertia calculated by the calculation unit 355 to the operator and those who perform various analyzes and inspections. The presentation can be realized by displaying on the display L, for example, numerical values, graphs, or the like indicating physical properties and force values. Alternatively, the presentation can also be realized by outputting numerical values and the like by voice from a speaker included in the output unit 316 .

The timing of the presentation by the presentation unit 356 is, for example, in real time at the same time that the calculation unit 355 calculates the physical characteristics in the "measurement mode". Also, after that, the presentation may be continued even when the "detection mode" or the "insertion mode" is switched again. Alternatively, after the information presentation process is completed, presentation may be performed in order to perform various analyses, inspections, and the like.

Also, in the presentation, the presentation unit 356 may present the physical properties of the substance calculated by the calculation unit 355 and the physical properties of the reference substance so that they can be compared. Incidentally, as described above, the physical property storage unit 372 stores the physical property that serves as a reference. The physical properties of the reference substance may be physical properties calculated by the calculation unit 355 in the past, or physical properties measured by an inspection method or a tactile method different from the calculation by the calculation unit 355. may be The physical properties of the reference material are, for example, standard values such as elasticity of the lesion when the lesion is calcified. The operator or the like compares the standard value of the lesion in such a specific state with the value calculated by the presentation unit 356 to obtain information about the state of the lesion (here, the degree of calcification). can grasp.

By referring to the presented physical characteristics, the operator can grasp the condition of the lesion using objective indicators such as numerical values. That is, it is possible to grasp both the subjective index of transmitted haptic sensation and the objective index. As a result, in addition to the support by transmitting the haptic sensation, further support can be provided.

[motion]
Next, the operation of the information presentation system 1 will be described.

[Information presentation process]
FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining the flow of information presentation processing executed by the information presentation device 30. As shown in FIG.
In the information presentation process, an instruction to execute the information presentation process is given by the operator via the input unit 315, or an instruction to execute the information presentation process is given by communication from an external device (for example, the master device 10) via the communication unit 318. Initiated in response to what is done. In this embodiment, when starting the information presentation process, an assistant who assists the operation of the slave device 20 manually or remotely operates the master device 10 so that the tip of the catheter is moved to the subject by a predetermined distance. Assume that it starts in an inserted state (for example, a state in which it is inserted by about 1 to 10 [cm]). As a result, it is possible to prevent the control of the information presentation device 30 from becoming unstable in a state where the change in the external force at the initial stage of insertion is large.

In step S11, the mode setting unit 354 sets the insertion mode.
In step S<b>12 , the sensor information acquisition unit 351 starts acquiring sensor information detected by various sensors installed in the master device 10 and the slave device 20 . Acquisition of this sensor information is performed in parallel with other steps until this process ends. Further, the acquired sensor information is stored in the control parameter storage unit 371 as time-series data.

In step S13, the haptic transmission unit 352 starts controlling haptic transmission based on the sensor information. This haptic transmission control is performed in parallel with other steps until this process ends.

In step S14, the distance information acquisition unit 353 acquires distance information by performing calculations, analysis, etc. on various data. Further, distance information acquisition section 353 outputs the acquired distance information to mode setting section 354 .

In step S15, the mode setting unit 354 determines whether or not to switch the mode based on the distance information and the mode switching operation by the operator. That is, based on the distance between the tip of the catheter and the lesion indicated by the distance information, whether to switch between the "insertion mode" and the "detection mode", and whether or not the operator performs a mode switching operation, the "detection mode" is determined. A determination is made as to whether or not to switch between "mode" and "measurement mode". When switching to any mode, it is determined as Yes in step S15, and the process proceeds to step S16. On the other hand, if the mode is not to be switched, it is determined as No in step S15, and the process proceeds to step S17.

In step S16, the mode setting unit 354 switches modes. That is, the mode is switched to any one of "insertion mode", "detection mode", and "measurement mode" according to the determination result of step S15.

In step S17, the calculation unit 355 determines whether the currently set mode is the "insertion mode", the "detection mode", or the "measurement mode". If it is "insertion mode" or "detection mode", it is determined in step S17 that it is "detection mode, insertion mode", and the process proceeds to step S23. On the other hand, if it is the "measurement mode", it is determined to be the "measurement mode" in step S17, and the process proceeds to step S18.

In step S18, the calculator 355 starts calculating the force value.
In step S19, the haptic transmission section 352 starts controlling the operation of the slave device 20 so as to achieve a predetermined motion state.

In step S20, the haptic transmission section 352 determines whether or not the movable section moved by the operation of the slave device 20 has moved a predetermined movement distance (Δx). If the predetermined moving distance (Δx) has been moved, it is determined as Yes in step S20, and the process proceeds to step S21. On the other hand, if the predetermined moving distance (Δx) has not been moved, it is determined as No in step S20, and the process returns to step S18 and repeats.

In step S21, the calculator 355 calculates the physical properties of the substance (here, the substance in the lesion contacted by the tip of the catheter).
In step S22, the presentation unit 356 starts presenting the physical characteristics calculated in step S21.

In addition, when switching from "measurement mode" to "detection mode" and then switching to "measurement mode" again, the operator should not switch from "measurement mode" to "detection mode". In such a case, the processes of steps S18 to S22 are repeated multiple times. In this case, a physical property (e.g., elasticity) may be repeatedly calculated and changes in the calculated value may be presented in the form of a graph, or elasticity, viscosity, and inertia may be calculated in turn. may be presented.

In step S23, the haptic transmission unit 352 determines whether or not the termination condition for terminating this process is satisfied. The end condition is, for example, an instruction to end the information presentation process by an operator via the input unit 315 or an instruction to end the information presentation process by communication from an external device (for example, the master device 10) via the communication unit 318. is to be done. If the end condition is satisfied, a determination of Yes is made in step S23, and this process ends. On the other hand, if the termination condition is not satisfied, a determination of No is made in step S23, and the process returns to step S14 and is repeated.

According to the information presentation processing described above, under the quantitative state that the slave device 20 maintains a predetermined motion state, the slave device It can present the physical properties of the material with which 20 comes into contact. Therefore, for example, the physical characteristics of a substance such as a blood vessel that cannot be directly touched by the operator are quantitatively presented as information obtained by the slave device 20 coming into contact with the substance (that is, tactile information). It is possible to further support the operation of the operator. In addition to the operation of the operator, the presented physical characteristics can be used to provide further support to those who perform various analyzes, inspections, and the like.
Therefore, according to the information presentation process, it is possible to solve the problem of providing further support in addition to the support by transmitting the haptic sensation.

[Comparison on external force]
FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing time-series changes in the external force input from the environment to the slave device 20 when the slave device 20 comes into contact with a substance in the above-described embodiment.
FIG. 7A is a schematic diagram of a case where the slave device 20 contacts the acrylic wall as the first contact target. FIG. 7B is a schematic diagram of a case where the slave device 20 comes into contact with an arteriosclerotic blood vessel as a second contact target. In each of FIGS. 7A and 7B, the horizontal axis represents time [S], and the vertical axis represents the force value [N] indicating the magnitude of the external force input to the slave device 20. there is

Focusing on FIG. 7(A), the catheter starts to move with the start of operation, and the force value gradually increases. Then, at the timing when the distal end of the catheter comes into contact with the first contact target, the contact force with the first contact target increases, and the force value increases sharply.
After the force value increases to some extent, the force value changes at a substantially constant magnitude thereafter.
Here, a comparison period P1 is defined as a period from when the force value begins to increase steeply until the force value reaches a certain level.

Next, focusing on FIG. 7(B), it is generally the same as FIG. 7(A), the catheter starts to move with the start of operation, and the force value gradually increases. Then, at the timing when the distal end of the catheter comes into contact with the second contact target, the contact force with the second contact target increases, and the force value sharply increases.
After the force value increases to some extent, the force value changes at a substantially constant magnitude thereafter.
Here, a comparison period P2 is defined as a period from when the force value begins to increase sharply until the same length of time as the comparison period P1 elapses.

When the comparison period P1 and the comparison period P2 are compared, the change in the force value is greater in the comparison period P1 than in the comparison period P2 (that is, the force value at the end of the comparison period is changed to the force value at the start of the comparison period ) is large. This can also be seen from the fact that the slope of the graph is greater during the comparison period P1 than during the comparison period P2.
From this comparison it is clear that the different physical properties of different contacted materials are reflected in the change in force values. Therefore, as in the above-described embodiment, it is possible to calculate the physical properties of the contacting material based on changes in force values.

[Modification 1]
In the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the actuator operates until the lesion is reached after the catheter is inserted has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, by manually inserting a catheter to the vicinity of the lesion, starting insertion using the master device 10 and the slave device 20 in a specific section near the lesion, and controlling the transmission of the haptic sensation, the "detection mode" It may be possible to switch to the "measurement mode" by performing information presentation processing while operating the actuator in the same manner as in the case of setting .

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the information presentation system 1 that performs information presentation processing after the operator manually inserts the catheter of the slave device 20. As shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 8, in the information presentation system 1 of this modified example, the catheter of the slave device 20 is provided with an operating lever (grasping portion) or the like, and can be manually operated by the operator.
Further, the information presentation system 1 of this modified example includes only the detection actuators 104 and 204 among the linear motion actuators included in the information presentation system 1 of the first embodiment shown in FIG. is not prepared.

When the operator manually inserts the catheter, in slave device 20 the catheter is released from movement control by sensing actuator 204 and rotation actuator 205 and can be manipulated like a conventional catheter.
At this time, it is assumed that the operator inserts the catheter to a position in front of the vicinity of the lesion, and information presentation processing is started with this state as the initial state.

When the information presentation process is started, the catheter is held for movement control by the detection actuator 204 and the rotation actuator 205, and the slave device 20 moves the catheter according to the operation of the master device 10, and the information is presented. Control for transmitting the haptic sensation by the device 30 is started. Then, in the same manner as in the case of setting the "detection mode" in the above-described embodiment, the actuator is operated, and information presentation processing is performed to enable switching to the "measurement mode". Physical properties of the material calculated based on the values can be presented.
According to this modified example, since the distance over which the catheter is moved by the actuator is relatively short, it is sufficient to have an actuator with a short stroke such as a voice coil motor. can do.

[Other Modifications]
In the above-described embodiment, the force in the thrust direction (advancing and retreating direction) of the catheter is transmitted between the master device 10 and the slave device 20 by haptic sensation, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, haptic transmission may be performed between the master device 10 and the slave device 20 for rotation about a rotation axis along the advancing/retreating direction or for operating an end effector. Furthermore, for example, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the information presentation system 1 remotely operates the catheter has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, various devices can be targeted as the devices that are remotely operated by the information presentation system 1. For example, various devices having a linearly configured portion, such as forceps or an endoscopic device. A medical device such as a mirror can be targeted.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the actuators provided in the master device 10 and the actuators provided in the slave device 20 are associated one-to-one to transmit the haptic sensation has been described as an example. However, it is not limited to this. That is, a plurality of actuators of the master device 10 are associated with one actuator of the slave device 20 to transmit a haptic sensation, or one actuator of the master device 10 is associated with a plurality of actuators of the slave device 20 to transmit haptic sensations. It is possible to communicate It is also possible to associate the plurality of actuators of the master device 10 with the plurality of actuators of the slave device 20 to transmit the haptic sensation. As an example, the insertion actuator 203 and the detection actuator 204 of the slave device 20 shown in FIG. 3 can be associated with the insertion actuator 103 of the master device 10 to transmit the haptic sensation. In this case, there is no need to provide the detection actuator 104 of the master device 10, and it is possible to reduce costs and reduce the weight of the device.

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the configuration including the insertion actuator 203 and the detection actuator 204 as actuators for advancing and retracting the catheter of the slave device 20 has been described as an example, but the configuration is not limited to this. That is, the catheter of the slave device 20 may be advanced and retracted with a single actuator as long as the actuator satisfies the required performance in stroke and accuracy of operation. In this case, the process of switching between the insertion mode and the detection mode is omitted, and the actuator is operated in the same manner as in the case of setting the "detection mode" in the above-described embodiment, and the information presentation process is performed to switch to the "measurement mode". By enabling switching, it is possible to present the physical properties of the substance calculated based on the value of the force also in this modified example.

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the mode setting unit 354 determines, based on the distance between the tip of the catheter and the lesion acquired as the distance information by the distance information acquisition unit 353, if the tip of the catheter has not reached the vicinity of the lesion. Although it has been described that the mode is switched to the "insertion mode" and then switched to the "detection mode" when reaching the vicinity of the lesion, the present invention is not limited to this. Here, when a catheter is inserted into a subject, various external forces input from the environment change between, for example, a state in which the catheter is advanced through an artery and a state in which it reaches a lesion in a stenosed heart. , the value of the force also changes accordingly. Therefore, the mode setting unit 354 calculates the force value in the same manner as the calculation unit 355, determines the insertion state of the catheter based on the force value, and switches between the "insertion mode" and the "detection mode". . In this case, for example, the mode setting unit 354 switches to the "insertion mode" when the force value is less than a predetermined value, and switches to the "detection mode" when the force value is greater than or equal to the predetermined value.

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the mode setting unit 354 performs mode switching operation by an operator via the input unit 315 or by communication from an external device (for example, the master device 10) via the communication unit 318. Although described as switching between the "detection mode" and the "measurement mode" based on the operation, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, if it is possible to determine with high accuracy whether or not the tip of the catheter has reached the vicinity of the lesion based on distance information or the like, the mode setting unit 354 can set distance The “detection mode” and the “measurement mode” may be switched based on information or the like. For example, when the mode setting unit 354 determines that the distal end of the catheter is closer to the lesion based on the distance information after switching to the "detection mode", the mode setting unit 354 does not require a switching operation from the operator or the like. It is good also as switching to a "measurement mode." Then, when the physical properties of the substance are calculated in the "measurement mode" and presented, the mode setting unit 354 switches to the "detection mode" without requiring a switching operation from the operator or the like. good.

[Configuration example]
As described above, the information presentation system 1 according to this embodiment includes the master device 10 to which the operator's operation is input, and the slave device 20 that operates according to the operation input to the master device 10 . The information presentation system 1 also includes a haptic transmission unit 352 , a calculation unit 355 , and a presentation unit 356 .
The haptic transmission unit 352 controls haptic transmission between the master device 10 and the slave device 20 .
The calculation unit 355 calculates the physical properties of the substance with which the slave device 20 is in contact, based on the external force input to the slave device 20 from the environment while the slave device 20 maintains a predetermined motion state. .
The presentation unit 356 presents the physical properties of the substance calculated by the calculation unit 355 .
In this way, the information presentation system 1, under a quantitative state in which the slave device 20 maintains a predetermined state of motion, moves the slave device 20 forward based on an external force input from the environment to the slave device 20. It can present the physical properties of the material with which 20 comes into contact. Therefore, for example, the physical characteristics of a substance such as a blood vessel that cannot be directly touched by the operator are quantitatively presented as information obtained by the slave device 20 coming into contact with the substance (that is, tactile information). It is possible to further support the operation of the operator. In addition to the operation of the operator, the presented physical characteristics can be used to provide further support to those who perform various analyzes, inspections, and the like.
Therefore, according to the information presentation system 1, it is possible to solve the problem of providing further support in addition to the support by transmitting the haptic sensation.

The calculation unit 355 calculates elasticity as a physical property of a substance when the slave device 20 maintains a state of uniform motion as a predetermined motion state.
This makes it possible to quantitatively present the elasticity of a substance such as a blood vessel that cannot be directly touched by the operator.

The calculation unit 355 calculates the viscosity as the physical property of the substance when the slave device 20 maintains the state of constant acceleration motion as the predetermined operating state.
This makes it possible to quantitatively present the viscosity of a substance such as a blood vessel that cannot be directly touched by the operator.

The calculation unit 355 calculates inertia as a physical property of a substance when the slave device 20 maintains a uniform jerk motion state as a predetermined operating state.
This makes it possible to quantitatively present the inertia of substances such as blood vessels that cannot be directly touched by the operator.

The calculation unit 355 determines whether or not the slave device 20 has maintained the predetermined state of motion based on the movement distance of the slave device 20 since the predetermined state of motion was started.
Accordingly, it is possible to determine whether or not a predetermined state of motion is maintained by using sensor information for controlling the transmission of the haptic sensation.

The presentation unit 356 presents the physical properties of the substance calculated by the calculation unit 355 and the physical properties of the reference substance in a comparable manner.
As a result, for example, it is possible to compare quantitative physical characteristics based on information (i.e., tactile information) obtained when the slave device 20 comes into contact with a substance with reference physical characteristics, Further assistance can be provided to the operator or the like.

The presentation unit 356 presents the physical properties of the substance calculated by the calculation unit 355 to the operator who is operating the master device 10 .
As a result, real-time assistance can be provided to the operator during operation.

As described above, the information presentation device 30 according to this embodiment includes the haptic transmission unit 352 , the calculation unit 355 , and the presentation unit 356 .
The haptic transmission unit 352 controls haptic transmission between the master device 10 to which the operator's operation is input and the slave device 20 that operates according to the operation input to the master device 10 .
The calculation unit 355 calculates the physical properties of the substance with which the slave device 20 is in contact, based on the external force input to the slave device 20 from the environment while the slave device 20 maintains a predetermined motion state. .
The presentation unit 356 presents the physical properties of the substance calculated by the calculation unit 355 .
With such a configuration of the information presentation device 30, similarly to the information presentation system 1 described above, it is possible to solve the problem of providing further assistance in addition to the assistance by transmitting the haptic sensation.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and includes modifications, improvements, and the like within the scope of achieving the object of the present invention.
For example, the present invention can be implemented as the information presentation system 1 in the above-described embodiment, an information presentation device for controlling the information presentation system 1, and an information presentation method configured by steps executed in the information presentation system 1. Alternatively, it can be implemented as a program executed by a processor to implement the functions of the information presentation system 1 .
Further, in the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the information presentation device 30 is implemented as an independent device has been described as an example. 201 or distributed in both of them.

Also, the processing in the above-described embodiments can be executed by either hardware or software.
That is, it is sufficient that the information presentation system 1 has a function capable of executing the above-described processing, and the functional configuration and hardware configuration for realizing this function are not limited to the above-described example.
When executing the above-described processing by software, a program that constitutes the software is installed in the computer from a network or a storage medium.

The storage medium that stores the program consists of a removable medium that is distributed separately from the device main body, or a storage medium that is pre-installed in the device main body. Removable media are composed of, for example, a semiconductor memory, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, or a magneto-optical disk. Optical discs are composed of, for example, CD-ROMs (Compact Disk-Read Only Memory), DVDs (Digital Versatile Disks), Blu-ray Discs (registered trademark), and the like. The magneto-optical disk is composed of an MD (Mini-Disk) or the like. Also, the storage medium pre-installed in the device main body is composed of, for example, a ROM (Read Only Memory) storing programs, a hard disk, or a semiconductor memory.

It should be noted that the above embodiment shows an example to which the present invention is applied, and does not limit the technical scope of the present invention. That is, the present invention can make various changes such as omissions and substitutions without departing from the gist of the present invention, and can take various embodiments other than the above-described embodiments. Various embodiments and modifications thereof that can be taken by the present invention are included in the scope of the invention described in the claims and their equivalents.

1 Information presentation system, 10 Master device, 20 Slave device, 30 Information presentation device, 40 Network, L Display, C Camera, FT Functional force/velocity allocation conversion block, FC Ideal force source block, PC Ideal velocity (position) source Block, IFT Inverse transform block, S Controlled system, 101, 201 control unit, 102, 202 communication unit, 103, 203 insertion actuator, 104, 204 detection actuator, 105, 205 rotation actuator, 106, 206 operation Actuator, 107, 108, 207, 208 linear encoder, 109, 110, 209, 210 rotary encoder, 111 to 114, 211 to 214 driver, 311 processor, 312 ROM, 313 RAM, 314 bus, 315 input section, 316 output section , 317 storage unit, 318 communication unit, 319 drive, 331 removable media, 351 sensor information acquisition unit, 352 haptic transmission unit, 353 distance information acquisition unit, 354 mode setting unit, 355 calculation unit, 356 presentation unit, 371 control parameters Storage unit, 372 Physical property storage unit

Claims (10)

1. An information presentation system including a master device to which an operator's operation is input and a slave device that operates according to the operation input to the master device,
   control means for controlling haptic transmission in the master device and the slave device;
   calculating means for calculating physical properties of a substance contacted by the slave device based on an external force input to the slave device from the environment while the slave device maintains a predetermined state of motion;
   presentation means for presenting the physical properties of the substance calculated by the calculation means;
   An information presentation system comprising:
2. The calculation means calculates elasticity as the physical property of the substance when the slave device maintains a state of uniform motion as the predetermined motion state.
   The information presentation system according to claim 1, characterized by:
3. The calculating means calculates the viscosity as the physical property of the substance when the slave device maintains a state of uniformly accelerated motion as the predetermined operating state.
   3. The information presentation system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by:
4. The calculation means calculates inertia as the physical property of the substance when the slave device maintains a state of uniform jerk motion as the predetermined operating state.
   4. The information presentation system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized by:
5. The calculation means determines whether or not the slave device maintains the predetermined state of motion based on the distance traveled by the slave device after the predetermined state of motion is started.
   5. The information presentation system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized by:
6. The presentation means presents the physical properties of the substance calculated by the calculation means and the reference physical properties of the substance in a comparable manner.
   6. The information presentation system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized by:
7. The presentation means presents the physical properties of the substance calculated by the calculation means to the operator of the master device.
   7. The information presentation system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized by:
8. Control means for controlling transmission of haptic sensations between a master device to which an operator's operation is input and a slave device that operates according to the operation input to the master device;
   calculating means for calculating physical properties of a substance contacted by the slave device based on an external force input to the slave device from the environment while the slave device maintains a predetermined state of motion;
   presentation means for presenting the physical properties of the substance calculated by the calculation means;
   An information presentation device comprising:
9. An information presentation method executed in an information presentation system including a master device to which an operator's operation is input and a slave device that operates according to the operation input to the master device,
   a control step of controlling haptic transmission in the master device and the slave device;
   a calculating step of calculating physical properties of a substance contacted by the slave device based on an external force input from the environment to the slave device while the slave device maintains a predetermined state of motion;
   a presentation step of presenting the physical properties of the substance calculated in the calculation step;
   An information presentation method characterized by comprising:
10. a control function for controlling transmission of haptic sensations between a master device to which an operator's operation is input and a slave device that operates according to the operation input to the master device;
    a calculation function for calculating physical properties of a substance contacted by the slave device based on an external force input to the slave device from the environment while the slave device maintains a predetermined state of motion;
    a presentation function that presents the physical properties of the substance calculated by the calculation function;
    A program characterized by realizing on a computer.

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